Italy (Source): How far could the historian make use of Sources 1 and 2 together to investigate Mussolini’s responsibility for the murder of Matteotti in 1924?

Introduction

• Write about provenance of both

• Can make great use of them

• May be difficult to come to similar conclusions because of contrasting arguments

• Both are credible and present subjective depictions of events

Paragraph 1

• Mussolini, a strong propagandist and liar, had difficulty processing the events

• ‘Mussolini’s shaky performance struck me as proof of his previous ignorance of the plot against Matteotti’

• Demonstrates that Squads had once again done something that Mussolini had little control over (they pressured him into the March on Rome 2 years before)

• Does acknowledge his proclivity to lie

• ‘Had this not been the case, he would have found smoother lies to answer the questions asked in Parliament’

• Supported by his convincing Churchill of Italian economic prowess

• Even though he was forced to increase tax receipts spent on welfare from 6.9% to 20.6% between 1930 and 1936

Paragraph 2

• Source 2 contradicts the notion that he was ignorant to the murder of Matteotti

• ‘I alone assume full political, moral and historical responsibility for all that has happened,’ but does use the word, ‘if,’ so not a confession

• Was 7 months after the murder, so had time to collect himself

• His denial of the existence of a Cheka only supports the notion that he lies and cultivates propaganda

• ‘An Italian Cheka has never existed’

• Estimated that the regime was responsible for 7,000 political murders

Paragraph 3

• Source 1 is likely to not be supportive of BM

• Margherita was a Jew, 1938 = 47,000 well-integrated Jews in Italy

• Source 2 = very supportive, straight from BM not long after the Acerbo Laws that gave PNF 66% of seats in chamber, so height of his power electorally

• Source 1 is likely to be more trustworthy than Source 2

• A personal account of time with BM from 1272 letters

• Source 2 = less likely to be true

• BM = known to lie and cultivate propaganda, but doesn’t matter anyway bc it corroborates with Source 1